


Bend the Knee

by Anonymous



Series: A Quiet Seduction [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Dark Merlin (Merlin), M/M, Mind Control, Not technically smut, Tagged for implications
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-17 06:02:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28969512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Arthur is his, as it was always meant to be, as it always should have been. And yet it seems that his friends are still being bothersome. Luckily, this is fixable.
Relationships: Gwaine/Merlin (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: A Quiet Seduction [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2124861
Comments: 15
Kudos: 33
Collections: Anonymous





	Bend the Knee

The people of Camelot had often whispered of the Prince and his manservant, and how close the two had become in such a short period of time. Even before Arthur’s attitude had changed the clear camaraderie they shared had raised him in his people’s eyes. Now though? Now the bond between the two showed more clearly than ever. Wherever Arthur went, so Merlin followed. And the prince listened so attentively to his servant! Merlin’s input was heard and accepted by the prince, even in a public forum. The citizenry adored it, finally a royal who didn’t think himself above the populous. A prince of the people!

Needless to say, Uther was furious. The king raged, and threatened, promising to put Merlin in the stocks, in the dungeon, but Arthur refused to be swayed. And every time he was about to follow through on his threats, Uther seemed to . . . forget about it. Oh he recalled it sure enough, and he seemed displeased each time, but his anger blew out like a candle. It was, the staff generally agreed, a sign of his mellowing with age.

Merlin began to grow sick of his meddling however. He paced the room, restless and agitated, once more at war with himself. He had soothed Uther’s anger so many times now, and the act, while not becoming any more difficult, was becoming increasingly tedious. He took a spot on the bed, huffing in displeasure. He tried to focus on the soft feel of the velvet covers, letting them soothe him. His breathing gradually slowed, and for a few moments he felt at peace. Then something knocked into his feet.

“Ah, sorry about that Merlin.” Arthur said, looking up at him with a sheepish grin. He moved a step or two away and resumed scrubbing the floor. Merlin looked down at his prince and smiled slightly.

“I just can’t think of a way to get your father to stop bothering us so much.” He said with a sigh. Arthur finished scrubbing that part of the floor, stood, and walked over to the wall to retrieve the broom. Merlin’s eyes followed him, enjoying the way the light caught the prince’s nude form. He’d taken to making Arthur perform his own chores after a burst of inspiration recently. The door was sealed and the windows were spelled so anyone looking in would see nothing out of the ordinary.

Arthur had already been a fine specimen, but under Merlin’s guidance he had begun to attain something beyond what most would expect. His abdomen rippled with muscles, his ass rounded, his hair shone brighter. As Merlin’s magic infused him more and more, Arthur grew, thriving off the energy. Just more proof that Merlin was right in his actions.

“Father is just stubborn, he doesn’t see that you’re more than just a servant,” Arthur said as he swept, his half hard cock bobbing with his movements. Merlin plucked the tether just so, sending a jolt of pleasure through the prince. Arthur’s cock hardened just a bit further, thickening a bit more and drooping just a bit less. 

“He’s more than stubborn Arthur, the man’s more bullheaded than an ass.” Merlin felt the thrum of irritation in Arthur rise and immediately reweaved it into amusement. Arthur smiled lightly as he finished sweeping. Merlin leaned back on the bed and gestured vaguely. Arthur came forward, sank to his knees, and took Merlin's feet in his hands. 

Arthur had been rather inept at the start, too rough, too careless, but Merlin had been quite sore one day and Arthur had been there and at that point having the prince massage him seemed like nothing at all. His technique had improved rapidly as Merlin kept him at it, and now the warlock looked forward to the days Arthur had nothing planned and he could enjoy the feel of his prince’s strong hands.

Merlin let his tension go, settling back on Arthurs’ (his) bed. Arthurs treatments gradually moved up his leg, turning from massaging, to stroking, and those strong, but deceptively agile fingers soon made their way up to Merlin’s crotch. Merlin smiled as he felt Arthur begin to paw at him, and he sat up, looking into his prince’s eyes.

“Well now, it seems someone’s eager.”

“Oh don’t be coy Mer~ _lin_ , I did my work, don’t I deserve my reward?” Arthur batted his eyes in an approximation of what might have been called bashful. Merlin laughed, pulling at him, and his prince rose up and kissed him. The two fell to the bed, grinning and laughing, and grinding, and it was as Arthur was working open Merlin’s pants with one hand and stroking down his side with the other that the door to Arthur’s room jostled.

The two broke apart reluctantly, Arthur moving to his pile of neatly folded clothes and Merlin sighing aggravatedly as he stepped towards the door. When Arthur was clad in the barest level of clothing required, Merlin let his ward on the door fall. 

A second after the door was unsealed, Gwaine stumbled in.

“What is _wrong_ with that door?” The knight puzzled. Merlin’s faint frown turned to a small smile before his friend could see. Gwain might have been an unexpected interruption, but it was always good to see him (he was after all, rather fetching).

“Oh that thing is always getting stuck, we need to get a carpenter in one of these days.” Merlin said casually, waving it away. Gwaine nodded in agreement before turning to Arthur.

“Arthur what’s been taking so long? The other knights are getting impatient.”

Merlin cocked his head and Arthur looked confused. “Impatient for what?” He asked.

Gwaine gave him a strange look, “For training? You’re nearly an hour late!”

Arthur’s mind twinged in recognition under a smothering layer of magic and Merlin let his hold slacken until the thought emerged from the bubble. “Oh god you’re right!” Arthur burst into activity, quickly shrugging himself into his usual clothes. Merlin helped him with his armor as usual, smiling as Gwaine looked on bemused. Behind that familiar smile though, a darker thought lurked. The knights were becoming an inconvenience as they were now. Far less of a pain than Uther but their practice and attention was growing bothersome. The more he thought on it the more sure he became. As he watched Arthur stride out of the room, Gwaine walking behind him, Merlin came to a decision.

The knights of the round table would need to be . . . corrected.

\-----

Gwaine, being the one to spark the idea, was the first one Merlin chose. Hypothetically he could’ve just had Arthur call each of the knights in for a meeting, but he would need time to refine his control if he was to be controlling guiding more than one person at a time. He could have each of the knights in a dull, hazy sort of obedience, but that was the work of baser magicians. He was Emrys, strongest of them all, and he was better than that. Besides which he wouldn’t ever want to douse the sparks of his friends. Merely. . . refine and refocus them.

Besides the fact it would be sloppy, it was also an opportunity for him to try out different means of control. Magic was amazingly flexible and it could do so much, but while he could in theory gather them all in one fell swoop of power and control, there were surely more efficient methods to get them to see things his way.

Gwaine was also, as it turned out, the easiest of the knights to ensnare on a practical level. The friendship between Merlin and he had grown ever stronger once the long haired man had settled in Camelot. That made it easy to ask the cheerful and all too trusting knight for some help bringing something up from the castle’s deeper cellars. 

In his many illicit and illegal adventures to save Camelot, Merlin had become extremely well versed in the countless passageways that honeycombed the castle and surrounding lands. Given the number of unknown passages that sliced through the bedrock of the place Merlin was fairly convinced the entire place would’ve collapsed under its own weight ages ago if there weren’t some kind of magic involved. It was down through one such passageway that he’d taken Gwaine down under the pretense of retrieving an ancient casket of wine.

“Are you sure this wine is still drinkable Merlin?” Gwaine asked from behind him as they ventured ever deeper into the darkness below the castle.

Merlin scoffed “I’m not sure there’s a wine you _wouldn’t_ drink, but yes it’s good. I’ve had a sip of it here and there and it hasn’t killed me yet. Powerful stuff though, nearly walloped me the first time.”

Gwaine laughed loudly, the noise echoing in the long and lonely corridor. “I don’t mean any offense Merlin, but you’re hardly what I’d call a heavyweight drinker.”

Merlin grinned to himself and looked over his shoulder in exaggerated affront. “Why I’ve never been so offended in my entire life!”

The two men broke into chuckles as they took a turn down the tunnel.

“I am curious though,” Gwaine started, “why are you getting it now of all times?”

“Hmm?”

“Well it’s been down here so long and you’ve known about it so why are you getting it now?”

“Oh Arthur wanted something exciting to drink,” Merlin said smoothly, “last night he said his favorite wine tasted like horse piss.”

“And just how would he know that?” Gwaine said, teeth glinting in the light. The two exchanged another laugh. 

“Alright, if memory serves it should be in this room right over here.” Merlin said, leading Gwaine into a final room. It was a small room, some disused servants quarters in all likelihood. There were two chairs, a moderately melted candle, and a table, atop of which sat a mostly full bottle of wine.

“Wonder how it got down here?” Gwaine pondered aloud, testing the strength of one of the chairs. Merlin slid smoothly into his and using a sliver of wood he dipped in the torches fire, lit the candle.

“My guess is some servant got mad at the king one day and stole it from the kitchens.”

Merlin pulled out two small glasses from his bag and with a surprisingly smooth movement, removed the cork from the wine as he placed it on the table.

“I know I’m bringing this to Arthur but I figured we deserved at least a sip for going through the effort of finding it.”

“Merlin you’re a man after my own heart” Gwaine said.

Merlin lifted the bottle and poured two small cups of the drink. The liquid was a light almost violet color in the candle light, and it filled the room with a thick sweet scent. Merlin raised his own cup and Gwaine mirrored him. “Cheers” he said and the other man echoed as they knocked their cups together.

_Clink_

Gwaine downed his cup in a swift motion, tasting the tang of whatever had been used to make it. Merlin sat his cup down, untouched.

Gwaine furrowed his brow in confusion, “Merlin why aren’t you drink… -ing?” Then he blinked and shook his head as if clearing away cobwebs.

“Sorry what was I saying?”

“Something about being thirsty,” Merlin said, filling the knights glass. He raised his glass to his friend and nodded at him over the brim of his cup. The pair gently knocked their glasses together.

_Clink_

The flavor was almost familiar, sweet and tart and tangy. He looked over at Merlin only to find his friend with his cup in his hand, untouched.

“Merlin what’re you-” The world shimmered faintly at the edges and . . . what had he been talking about again?

“Cheers,” Merlin said, raising his glass to Gwaine. Gwaine blinked and found his cup was full. Something about that seemed odd but he was actually quite thirsty now that he thought about it. He took a swig of his drink.

Merlin smiled.

Gwaine focused on the flavor of the wine. Was it a wine though? It tasted quite different from what he’d had at the castle. More like an ale than anything else. 

“Cheers.”

_Clink_

But honestly did it matter what it tasted like? It was certainly good and that was all that really mattered.

“Cheers.”

_Clink_

Well not all that mattered. Merlin was speaking and he was quite certain that what merlin was saying was very important. Everything Merlin had to say was important after all, and it was an absolute shame that no one else seemed to get that.

_Clink_

Really Merlin was an absolute treasure of a friend. Unquestionably loyal and always working for the greater good. Arthur was so lucky to have someone like Merlin around to advise and guide him.

_Clink_

It was a shame about the knights, Gwaine agreed as Merlin continued to speak. They were good men to be sure but they didn’t get that Merlin and Arthur needed time together. Time to talk and plan. Time for Arthur to learn, time for Merlin to teach.

_Clink_

And Merlin was such a smart and clever young man. They could all do with a lesson or two from him really. He was certainly going to listen to Merlin, after all the young man was definitely smarter than him.

_Clink_

Yes he really should just listen to Merlin. It would be much simpler. Oh he would do his duties and be as good a man as he always was, but when it came down to it he knew that Merlin knew best.

_Clink_

Whatever Merlin thought was a good idea was honestly better than anything anyone else was going to come up with after all.

_Clink_

Merlin was after all his best and smartest friend.

_Clink_

Wisest too.

_Clink_

And the most handsome if he was being honest. Merlin was just so incredibly handsome. Beautiful too. And sexy. Far sexier than anyone else. He’d do anything for the almostly godly man. He’d keep any secret, do any task. If for instance Merlin had magic then magic was surely okay. No more than that magic was wonderful because Merlin was perfect in every way.

_Clink_

The words came fast and long and sweet as smooth silk tumbling and fumbling and electric in his ears as the wine on his tongue.

_Clink_

He listened and he heard and he nodded and understood, it all made so much sense really. What mattered, what he needed to do, what was important and good and right.

_Clink_

And the answers were all the same really, so easy to remember and accept and agree.

_Clink_

Merlin. Merlin. Merlin

_Clink_

Gwaine blinked his eyes, as if rousing himself from a deep slumber. The wine bottle was empty and his mouth tasted like sweetness and honey. The room flared to light and in the sudden brightness he beheld Merlin’s eyes glowing like fire and lightning.

He was, in every possible way, spellbound by the beauty of the sight.

“Oh look, it seems I misread the bottle,” Merlin said with a grin as Gwaine stared at him, almost slack jawed in awe. “It was Avalon Ale, not wine, silly me.”

Merlin smiled and patted Gwaine’s face gently. “Up you get now Gwaine.” The force with which Gwaine stood nearly knocked the table over. Merlin laughed standing and stepping into the man. He wrapped his arms around the knight in a tight hug, pulling the other man close. With casual movements he cupped Gwaine’s cock in his trousers, feeling it swell under his hand.

“How are you feeling Gwaine?”

Gwaine smiled dreamily as he looked into those brilliant golden eyes, the pits as dark as the deepest sea, and answered.

“Absolutely perfect.”

**Author's Note:**

> Yes hi hello it's me, anonymous, back at it again with more mind fuck smut. I hope you enjoy, it's gonna be a bumpy ride


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